Michael McDonald

Michael McDonald ‎- Soul Speak - 2008 - Universal

What's left for Michael McDonald after two albums of Motown covers? Plenty of soul standards that weren't recorded for Motown, plus several other songs that are "soulful" but not strictly soul, and that's just what he offers on Soul Speak, his 2008 sequel to his Motown sequel, 2004's Motown Two. Soul Speak shares the same basic sound and feel as the two Motown records -- it's all sleek, glassy grooves powered by pros -- and if it lacks the hint of looseness that made Two a superior record to its big brother, that's because Soul Speak isn't designed to be a party record like the Motown albums. As the covers of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" suggest, Soul Speak is a bit moodier and more contemplative than either of its Motown cousins, but that's a relative term: there are still plenty of sprightly, classy pop-soul grooves here, nice versions of "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" and Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City" and "For Once In My Life" that keep Soul Speak moving. But where these brightly elegant grooves dominated on the Motown albums, they're used for coloring here, shading the covers of Cohen, Marley, and Van Morrison ("Into the Mystic") and three solid new originals from McDonald ("Only God Can Help Me Now," "Enemy Within," "Still Not Over You (Getting Over Me)"). Despite the soul in the title, this album recalls the warm soft rock that was his specialty in the early '80s as much as it does his recent soul, particularly because it does rely a little bit more on soft ballads (such as the excellent closer of the standard "You Don't Know Me"), and that is not a bad thing at all. Indeed, it could be argued that of his albums of the new millennium, Soul Speak comes the closest to capturing the sound and feel of Michael McDonald at his peak, all without ever sounding like a conscious re-creation of that time. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine © 2012 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/soul-speak-mw0000503861

Beautiful blue eyed soul from one of the greatest soul vocalists on the planet, and VHR by A.O.O.F.C. Listen to Mike's "If That's What It Takes" album [All tracks @ 256 Kbps: File size = 110 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) - Dennis W. Morgan, Simon Crispin Climie 4:03
2 Living For The City - Stevie Wonder 4:59
3 Love T.K.O. - Cecil Womack, Gip Noble Jr., Linda Womack 4:59
4 Walk On By - Burt Bacharach, Hal David 2:47
5 Still Not Over You (Getting Over Me) - Dennis Morgan, Michael McDonald, Simon Climie 3:57
6 For Once In My Life - Orlando Murden, Ronald Norman Miller 3:40
7 Into The Mystic - Van Morrison 4:11
8 Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen 4:59
9 Enemy Within - Michael McDonald, Simon Climie 4:05
10 (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher - Carl William Smith, Gary Jackson, Raynard Miner 3:02
11 Only God Can Help Me Now - Michael McDonald 5:00
12 Baby Can I Change My Mind - Barry Despenza, Carl Wolfolk 3:43
13 Redemption Song - Bob Marley 3:56
14 You Don't Know Me - Cindy Walker, Eddy Arnold 3:11

MUSICIANS

Michael McDonald - Keyboards on Tracks 4,5,6,7,9,10,11,12,14, Piano on Tracks 1,8, Guitar on Track 7, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals on Tracks 3,4
Michael Thompson - Guitar on Tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,14, Sitar on Track 5
Doyle Bramhall II - Guitar on Tracks 1,7,8,9,10,12
Nathan East - Bass Guitar
Toby Baker - Keyboards on Tracks 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,13,14, Synthesizer on Track 3, Synth. Programming on Track 4
Tim Carmen - Organ, Piano on Track 10
Abe Laboriel Jr. - Drums on Tracks 1,2,3,5,6,8,10,12,13,14, Nicky Shaw on Tracks 1,2,3,5,6,7,9,10,11,12,13,14, Vinnie Colaiuta on Tracks 7,9
Nicky Shaw - Percussion on Tracks 1,2,3,5,6,7,9,10,11,12,13,14
The Kick Horns - Brass on Tracks 6, 7, 10
Tim Lauer - Accordion on Track 7
Stevie Wonder - Harmonica on Track 6
Nick Ingman - String Arrangements on Tracks 3,6
Isobel Griffiths - Orchestra Contractor
Backing Vocals – Audrey Martells on Tracks: 4,5,11, Calvin Nowell on Tracks 3,6, Debi Selby on Track 3, Denise Allen on Tracks 3,6, Drea Rhenee on Tracks 1,2,3,5,6,10,13), Michelle John on Tracks 1,2,5,6,10,12,13, Out For Souls Choir on Tracks 1,2,5,10, Rachel Oteh on Tracks 1,2,10,13, Rian Peters on Track 6, Sharon White on Tracks 1,2,5,6,10,12,13

BIO

With his husky, soulful baritone, Michael McDonald became one of the most distinctive and popular vocalists to emerge from the laid-back California pop/rock scene of the late '70s. McDonald found the middle ground between blue-eyed soul and smooth soft rock, a sound that made him a star. He initially essayed his signature style with the Doobie Brothers, ushering in the group's most popular period with hits like "What a Fool Believes" and "Taking It to the Streets." McDonald disbanded the group in 1982 to pursue a solo career, which was initially quite successful, but by the end of the decade his popularity had faded away, since he was reluctant to work regularly and hesitant to update his sound to suit shifting popular tastes. After singing backup on several Steely Dan albums in the mid-'70s, Michael McDonald joined the Doobie Brothers in 1977. He was largely responsible for moving the group away from boogie rock and toward polished, jazzy blue-eyed soul. Prior to the Doobies' farewell tour in 1982, he sang harmony on several hit singles, including tracks by Donna Summer, Toto, Kenny Loggins, and Christopher Cross. As it turned out, McDonald's solo work was a cross between the Doobie Brothers' white-bread soul and Cross' adult contemporary ballads. McDonald released his solo debut, If That's What It Takes, in 1982. The record climbed to number six on the strength of the number four single "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)," which also crossed over into the R&B Top Ten. In 1983, he had another Top 20 pop hit (and a Top Ten R&B hit) with his duet with James Ingram, "Yah Mo B There." McDonald didn't deliver his second solo album, No Lookin' Back, until 1985. The record wasn't as successful as its predecessor, producing only one moderate hit in its title track. He bounced back the following year, when his duet with Patti LaBelle, "On My Own," shot to number one and "Sweet Freedom," his theme for the Billy Crystal/Gregory Hines comedy Running Scared, climbed into the Top Ten. Instead of capitalizing on his revitalized success, McDonald didn't release another album until 1990. The resulting Take It to Heart was a bomb, peaking at number 110. Two years later, his fortunes were revived somewhat when he sang on Aretha Franklin's minor hit "Ever Changing Times" and toured with Donald Fagen's New York Rock and Soul Revue. The following year, he released Blink of an Eye, which was ignored. In 1994, "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)" was sampled heavily in Warren G's smash hit "Regulate." By 1996, McDonald had returned to the Doobie Brothers, touring the oldies circuit with the reunited group. The following year, McDonald released Blue Obsession, his first album of new material in three years. He released a Christmas album (In the Spirit: A Christmas Album) in 2001, and began a series of recordings devoted to the Motown catalog with 2003's Motown. Motown Two and Soul Speak followed in 2004 and 2008 respectively. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine © 2012 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/michael-mcdonald-mn0000459616